Stub Mandrel

No guarantee without a pickup-specific wiring diagram. I can't find a diagram for P-bass humbuckers, but look at this sea of confusion: Assuming the start and finish of each coil is reflected by where the wire emerges from the pickups then white to black is a good place to start. I would do the 'temporary connection' then expose to a source of hum test myself.

What matters is that the intonation is set at least as accurately as you can place your fingers in a real-world playing situation. This can be done easily in a relaxed situation working on one note at a time. If you can do this any errors will be masked by the bigger ones you will inevitably make when playing. Most of these will be inaudible and if not you will learn to correct them as you go along (although despite what some people say it's only when playing fairly slowly that you get enough time to hear a note and correct it before moving on to the next one, in practice I find I rely mostly on muscle memory and listen out for my hand position drifting rather than individual bum notes). +/- 5 or 6 cents is meant to be about the limit of what the ear can detect under ideal conditions. In practice you need to get notes within about +/- 12 cents of the right spot to not sound out of tune (bear in mind the bass is rarely playing in unison with another instrument which makes exact pitch less critical as you don't get beats etc.) That means the 'critical' zone to get your finger in is about 1/4 of a semitone wide, although most of the time you probably do better than that! Get the intonation set to match where you finger naturally falls and it will maximise the chance of you hitting the zone when you are really shredding.

I've been looking to find a clip of Dave Pegg slapping tastefully. I've found plenty of evidence of his signature pick and two fingers technique, and even him doing a tapping solo! But I have to give up, he just manages to work in sounds that are just like slapping without actually doing so!

Seconded. If anyone tells you you're out, just start explaining 'just intonation' to them and after ten minutes they will zone out and never hassle you again.

Alternative strategy. Just learn the key for the originals and make it up as you go along. How will anyone know that's not what you were meant to play? 🙂

Fender Performer ... eventually!

Cheap Chinese straplocks come with bigger screws than Schaller. Just drill the strap buttons out. I also drilled out the buttons on my performer - oddly they are straplock compatible (making them iffy with a normal strap) but the screw is too high so they don't lock. Deepening the hole in the button reduces the strain on the screw a bit too, but don't drill so the end of the button is only held on by a thin ring of metal... I worry that Jim Dunlop ones are too overhung although the ones I have on my 5 seem to be OK. Perhaps teh ideal solution is a 4" coach bolt and a penny washer permanently attaching the strap 🙂

Sting - The Poultry Years

One of these guys is uber-cool. One of them is not. Can you guess which is which, children?

I have no experience of this in a gig situation, but it's worth noting that most decent chorus pedals have a stereo output that creates a really nice effect. Just make sure you send stereo to the PA as well (and that it's the right way round).

Also the owners have't just had the TV turn up and offer to sell their stuff - they are motivated by the hope of making a killing.

I'm not very good at slap, but try this exercise. Finger the a-string at the 7th fret and g-string at the 9th to get the octave. First practice flicking the a-string against the fretboard alternating with using your middle finger to pull up the g-string and so pops back against the fretboard. Once you can keep up a steady 1-2 rhythm try doing the following 8 to the bar pattern: G--------9-------6-------7--------8 D---------------------------------- A----7-------4--------5-------6---- E---------------------------------- Once you can play this steadily, try combining the two techniques into different syncopated slap/pop patterns on 7 and 9. When you can do these reasonably cleanly, try playing a simple bassline, not a fast one, you know well that is all on the E and A strings. slapping all the notes on the E and A strings and double them up by 'popping' them on the D and G strings. Also, try simply playing basslines using your thumb to slap instead of a finger to pick the notes. From here you are probably as good as me and on your own... this won't make you fast, but it shoudl help you build your technique without trying to do too much at once or confusing things by trying to learn new patterns for your fretting hand when its your playing hand that needs to learn.

What kind of music do you want to play? That should lead your choice. These Chorus - thickens up your sound and adds a 'shimmer' to the top end. Good for melodic lines, subtle, especially if you use a guitar flanger with bass (which can work well as it keeps the bottom end clear and spices up the higher tones). Flanger - deeper more in-your-face version of chorus, used slow can give a swooshing rather artificial sound. I tend to use it when I want an obvious effect. Phaser - gentler version of phase and chorus as it affects a broader range of sounds. I find this very lovely but less popular these days. [Use chorus+flanger at very different rates for really wild sounds as they intermodulate, good for 'psychedelic effects'.] EQ pedal - can be useful if used with care. Essential if you have to use other people's amps with lots of confusing dials as you can set up a 'neutral tone' and use the pedal to get the sound you like. Use to get two different sounds if you have a 1-pickup bass or to get a different sound for special effect. I prefer to use it with subtle bass boost if I need some welly when using the bridge pickup. Distortion - very personal. I have a HM2 for completely wrecked sounds, but most people want a much subtler effect. The higher harmonics ina distorted sound often make chorus/flange etc. more noticeable. Delay - Thickens your sound but can get rid of definition I find what sounds good to me sounds awful when played back as it ovewhelms other instruments, best used in small doses. Tremelo - very cheap effect that adds a wobble or even a stutter (depending on depth) without affecting the note pitch. Useful for some genres like surf music. Usually best used in a subtle way as too much and it can 'overlays' a rhythm on your playing (OK if you want this!). Compressor - vary from simple on/off effects on some amps to flight-deck complexity. I use mine with attack and sustain near middle values and adjust level so it matches me playing normally. My aim is to use fairly subtly to even out levels when playing varied lines. Slap players generally more compression to balance out the extreme differences between hard slaps and pops and gentler muted notes. Turn off when you want to emphasise dynamics (i.e. play soft and then loud). Tuner - really useful and most can also act as a mute pedal. Next to add for me? Octaver - I really like the sound. Main thing with effects is don't over-use them. Make sure you have a good sound without any effects (except perhaps EQ and compression) and rely on pickup switching/tone know for most changes of sound. Bring in effects only when needed, over-effected instruments can be tiring to listen to. That said, they can be great fun if you find an excuse for stomping on several at once!

As a moment of slight relief, take inspiration from the extra-Short Scale here:

The answer is simple. The position of the harmonic won't ever be the same as the correct spot. What matters is if you go to finger the octave, you get the octave. The most accurate position will vary with your fingering technique and the shape of your fingertips, action, string type etc. Aim to finger as accurately as you can in your ideal 'twelfth fret' position adjust the intonation so this note is in tune with the harmonic.

Vodka is just dilute meths (with a dash of methyl alcohol added to make you go blind if you drink it).

Is that bit like a granny flat?

The thing about slap is it doesn't need to be frantic, when MK revs up what his left hand is doing becomes irrelevant... I think it actually sounds better if you can hear the notes as well as the percussion.

You lot are slow on the uptake. John Hall is visiting at the same time as Donald Trump, because they know all the protesters will go after Hall, allowing the Trumpmeister a peaceful visit.

Interesting observations: Nearly every band had a telecaster in it, the only 'strat' shaped ones were a Yamaha Pacifica brought in when someone snapped a string and our guitarists home-built bitsa strung for slide guitar. Basses: 2 Fender Jazz, 1Peavey, one genuine 1960s Gibson SG and my Fender Performer. Who said everyone plays a Precision?

I've just got back from my first gig since 1995, the 'Abbey Road Army' one. We were the 'Grizzly Beers' and on second. The sound was spot on as you might expect from a venue with a proper stage and a list of past bands like this: Were were hoping not to make fools of our selves but in the end we had a great reception and everyone was saying how good we were, especially how we fitted all the instruments together. We started with Going Back Home as easy to play and a crowd pleaser. The Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting which is a tad more challenging! Our secret weapon was Boulevard of Broken dreams where we got all those stops spot on, including the end - our effort to practice endings really paid off. We did 40 minutes and finished with My My, Hey Hey. I started it with my HM2 pedal dialled and a plaintive howl of feedback, calmed down a bit for most of the song, and finished with HM2, tremelo, flanger, EQ and chorus on and the compressor off! The plan was to go out with a bang and it turned out we managed to make a picture fall off the wall at the far end of the building in the next room 🙂 We ended witha group hug! A few moments of sheer terror, but in the end we all had a brilliant time and the other bands were great too! We are meeting up in a couple of weeks top discuss a plan for world domination!

Shows why short-scale basses are a bad idea 🙂

It's definitely the one with the steep steel steps and the list of bands! It went well - we were the only band to end with a group hug!

... and it's my first gig since 1995! If anyone is in Nottingham and looking for something to to do, we will be on around 4:30; First band likely to be nearer to 3:30 than 2:30! After the great success of last years Abbey Road Army gig we are dropping you a reminder that ARA Take 2 is happening this month! Gig is on Sunday 19th May. at the Boat Club. · First act will go on around 2.30 pm. · Yes the 'bar' will be open! · Social Media - Tell Everybody! · Under 10’s go in free. Other than that the entry is £5 per person on the door where a large gentlemen will take the money and hand stamps will be in place. Please bring cash as we don't have a card machine!

Take it apart, bend it into alignment and file the burrs off. If you are doing electrical engineering a set of torx bits and a screwdriver holder, pliers and a set of small files will be invaluable down the line anyway. Use folded paper or card so using hefty pliers to grip the panel doesn't mark it.